Examples of open data in action

- [Instructor] We spent some time discussing the genesisof open data, its use around the world,some of the platforms used, and introduced you toglobal leadership in open data best illustratedthrough the Open Government Partnership.Now let's go deeper by beginning to exploresome examples of open data in action.Let's remind ourselves of the benefits of open data.In this case, I'm going to use the four areasof value as noted by GovLab, an organizationwhose goal is to strengthen the ability of institutions,including but not limited to governments, and peopleto work more openly, collaboratively, effectively,and legitimately to make better decisionsand solve public problems.

The four benefits they reference areto improve government, to empower citizens,to create opportunity, and to help solve public problems.To understand how open data might achieve these benefits,let's look at some examples.In Uruguay, citizens get one opportunity per yearto sign up for their health benefits.This can be a complex process for eventhe best-informed citizens.Selecting options for health requires additional informationand insights that the citizens of Uruguaydidn't have access to, often putting them at a disadvantage.

To help with the process, the government of Uruguaydecided to publish a wealth of health data on itsopen data portal, enabling citizens to get vital informationto help with their health benefit choices.In Brazil, where government corruption has often beena feature of the political landscape,open data was used as a way to publish informationon government spending.Providing this visibility has helped to reduce corruptionin this area.Finally, in Sweden, Open Aid, an open data platform,was created to enhance transparency and accountabilityin development cooperation.

Specifically, the platform visualizes when, to whom,and why aid funding was paid out, and what the results were.Now, let's look at another few examplesof open data in action.In Los Angeles, California, government officialsand other stakeholders are committed to theMayor Sustainability City Plan.This is a roadmap for a Los Angeles that is environmentallyhealthy, economically prosperous,provides opportunities, and focuses on resultsin the short term and long term.

Here you can see a snippet of how open data from Los Angelesis being used in a dashboard to track progress.In this example, a goal is stated.Increase cumulative new housing unit constructionto 100,000 by 2021.The data that supports this goal and the progress,also shown in the data, is presented in the dashboard.Visitors to the website can drill into the datato better understand it and also to participatein progress if they choose to.

This kind of transparency holds the mayor, his team,and stakeholders across the city accountableto these agreed goals.It makes their city and their government better.Finally, let's take a look at open data that is usedto integrate with a commercial enterprise to createmore innovation, which results in more value to users.Let's look at Yelp.Yelp is the popular US-based online destinationwhose purpose is to connect peoplewith great local businesses.It attracts over 20 million visitors per month.

Popular on this site is information on restaurants.In this example, I've chosen a popularSan Francisco restaurant called Tadu Ethiopian Kitchen.The restaurant has an impressive four and a half stars.Clearly people like a lot about this place.The Yelp page on Tadu includes useful informationon open and closing times, its menu, and price range.But look closer and you can also find outhealth information.Where does this health information come from?Like most cities, restaurants are subjectto regular health inspections by a government authority.

If the inspection goes badly,a restaurant can be closed down.Restaurants are therefore highly motivatedto keep standards high to meet and exceedhealth regulation requirements.This health authority publishes health datain an open data format.Yelp has decided to incorporate this open datainto its restaurant pages.Now, in addition to the other useful informationthat was provided by the restaurant,Yelp can also inform the visitorabout the restaurant's health inspection scores.In my example, Tadu gets an impressive 100 out of 100.

That's great, and probably a place that I'd like to eat at.Through these few examples, it becomes clearthat open data has remarkable benefits in our society.From reducing corruption to improving the performanceof cities to giving businesses the opportunityto innovate and produce more value for their customers.Done right, open data has the possibilityto be transformative for our communities.

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Released

11/1/2016

Governments around the world are discovering the value and responsibility in making the data they collect and store easily available to anyone who wants to access it. Making the decision to open up data sets is a strategic choice that requires detailed tactics. There are processes and technologies to make data accessible while minimizing risk. If you want to start opening up your organization's data to enable transparency and catalyze innovation, or use open data to drive analysis and make more informed decisions, this course is for you.

Dr. Jonathan Reichental introduces real-world use cases for open data, as well as the steps you need to take to develop and operationalize an open data program. He also explains how data scientists use open data to tell stories and drive data visualizations. Along the way, he provides numerous examples of open data in action: improving government, empowering citizens, creating opportunity, and solving public problems.